This invention relates generally to data storage systems and more particularly to data storage systems having a plurality of magnetic storage disk drives in a redundancy arrangement whereby the disk drives are controllable by first disk controllers and second disk controllers. Still more particularly, the invention also relates to systems of such type wherein the disk drives are coupled to the disk controllers through a series, unidirectional, xe2x80x9cringxe2x80x9d or, fiber channel protocol, communication system.
As is known in the art, in one type of data storage system, data is stored in a bank of magnetic storage disk drives. The disk drives, and their coupled interfaces, are arranged in sets, each set being controlled by a first disk controller and a second disk controller. More particularly, in order to enable the set of disk drives to operate in the event that there is a failure of the first disk controller, each set is also coupled to a second, or redundant disk controller. Therefore, if either the first or second disk controller fails, the set of disk drives is accessible by the other one of the disk controllers.
While today most disk storage systems of this type use a Small Computer System Interconnection (SCSI) protocol, in order to operate with higher data rates, other protocols are being introduced. One higher data rate protocol is sometimes referred to as a fibre channel (FC) protocol. Such FC channel protocol uses a series, unidirectional, xe2x80x9cringxe2x80x9d communication system. In order to provide for redundancy, that is, to enable use of the set of disk drives in the event that the first disk controller fails, as discussed above, the set is coupled to the second, or redundant disk controller, using a separate, independent, xe2x80x9cringxe2x80x9d, or fibre channel communication protocol. Thus, two fibre channels are provided for each set of disk drives and their disk interfaces; a first fibre channel and a second fibre channel.
As is also known, when using the fibre channel communication protocol, if any element in the channel becomes inoperative, the entire channel becomes inoperative. That is, if the first disk controller becomes inoperative, or if any one of the disk drives in the set coupled to the first channel becomes inoperative (i.e., as where the disk interface fails, the disk interface is inoperative, or removed with its coupled disk drive, or where the disk drive coupled thereto fails, or is removed), the first fibre channel, isxe2x80x9cbrokenxe2x80x9d, or open, and becomes inoperative. The data stored in the entire portion of the set of disk drives coupled to the first disk channel is therefore unavailable until the inoperative first disk controller or inoperative disk drive is replaced. This is true with either the first channel or the second channel. One technique suggested to solve this problem is through the use of a switch, sometimes referred to as an LRC (i.e., a loop resiliency circuit) switch. Such LRC switch is used to remove an inoperative disk drive from its channel.
In one suggested arrangement, a printed circuit board is provided for each disk drive. The printed circuit board has a pair of LRCs, one for the first channel and one for the second channel. Thus, the open channel may be xe2x80x9cclosedxe2x80x9d in the event of an inoperative disk drive by placing the LRC thereof in a by-pass condition. While such suggested technique solves the inoperative disk drive, or open channel problem, if one of the pair of LRCs fails, the entire printed circuit board having the pair of LRCs must be replaced thereby disrupting both the first and second channels; and, hence, disrupting the operation of the entire data storage system.
One technique suggested to solve this disruption problem requires n LRC switches (where n is the number of disk drives in the set) in the first channel, i.e., one LRC for each one the n disk drives in the set and another n LRC switches in the second channel for each one of the n disk drives in the second channel. The first channel set of n LRCs is mounted on one printed circuit board and the second channel set of n LRCs is mounted on a different printed circuit board. A backplane is used to interconnect the two LRC printed circuit boards, the associated selectors, or multiplexers, and the disk drives. In order to provide the requisite serial, or sequential, fibre channel connections, an elaborate, complex, fan-out wiring arrangement has been suggested for the backplane. Further, the slots provided for the two LRC boards eliminates two disk drives, and the disk interfaces which would otherwise be plugged into these two slots of the backplane.
Another fibre channel arrangement is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,763 entitled xe2x80x9cData Storage Systemxe2x80x9d, inventor Eli Leshem, issued Mar. 17, 1998, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
In accordance with the present invention, a system interface is provided for coupling data between a host computer and a bank of disk drives. Directors control the transfer of data between the host computer and the disk drives. The directors are interconnected through the interface. Pairs of such directors are arranged in a redundant fibre channel network. Each one of the directors has a pair of ports. Disk drive sections are provided, such section having a plurality of the disk drives in the bank of disk drives. Each one of such disk drives has a pair of ports. A fibre channel port by-pass section is provided having: a first pair of channel port by-pass cards. A first one of such cards in the first pair thereof is coupled between a first one of the pair of ports of a first one of the pair of directors and a first port of the pair of ports of the disk drives. A second one of the first pair of port by-pass cards in the first pair thereof is coupled between a first port of a second one of the pair of directors and a second port of the pair of ports of the disk drives. A disk printed circuit board has plugged therein the disk drives in the disk drive section and the pair of port by-pass cards. The disk printed circuit board electrically interconnects the pair of port by-pass cards and the disk drives in the disk drive section.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, an electrical cabinet is provided for storing a plurality of disk drives. The cabinet has an array of slots, each one of the slots being adapted to receive a corresponding one of a plurality of disk drives. Each one of the disk drive has a pair of ports. A printed circuit board mounted to a rear of the housing. The board having a plurality of plugs, each one of the plugs being positioned in registration with a corresponding one of the slots to make electrical connection to such corresponding one of the disk drives. The housing has a slot for receiving a pair of fibre channel port by-pass cards. The port by pass cards are electrically interconnected to the disk drives through the printed circuit board. Each one of such port-by pass cards is coupled to a corresponding one of a pair input/output ports through a corresponding one of a pair fibre channel transmission medium. Each one of the port by-pass cards is coupled to a corresponding one of the pair of ports of the disk drives. Each one of the port by-pass cards is configured to couple a selected one, or ones of the disk drives coupled thereto to or from a fibre channel provided by the port by-pass card being the input/output port thereon selectively in accordance with control signals fed to thereto.